IPL 2024: Shepherd's 10-ball 39 tops fifties by Shaw, Stubbs as MI beat DC by 29 runs

Mumbai, April 7 (IANS) Romario Shepherd's 10-ball unbeaten 39 that included a 32-run final over and three wickets for three runs by Gerald Coetzee in the final over helped Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 29 runs in Match 20 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and claim their first victory of the season. 

Mumbai, who had started with defeats in their first three matches, finally opened their account in IPL 2024 with a brilliant display of batting and bowling that included two superb final overs on the day.

Shepherd ended Mumbai Indians' innings with a sensational final over, hitting 32 runs off Anrich Nortje, hitting four sixes and two boundaries as Mumbai Indians ended in a flourish to reach 234/5 in 20 overs after Delhi Capitals' skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl first. Shepherd blasted 4, 6, 6, 6, 4. 6 in the 20th over bowled by Anrich Nortje, who conceded 65 runs in four overs.

Chasing 235 in 20 overs on a pitch on which Pant said any target could be chased successfully, Delhi Capitals rode on blazing half-centuries by Prithvi Shaw (66 off 40) and Tristan Stubbs (71 off 25 balls) to reach 205/8 in 20 overs and fell short by 29 runs.

It was Super Sunday all the way for the 18,000-odd children from local NGOa that were invited by Mumbai Indians to watch the match as part of their Education and Sports for All (ESA) Day as they witnessed some brilliant power-hitting by players from both teams.

Tristan Stubbs blasted a 19-ball half-century, undeterred by the loss of his skipper Rishabh Pant who was out for one run off three balls, as he offered a leading edge to cover while attempting a big one over midwicket. He hammered Madhwal for 14 runs off two legal deliveries as he reverse-scooped the first delivery of the 17th over for a four, then hammered a no-ball for a six and smoked a full toss to the extra cover boundary as they scored 19 runs off the over.

Bumrah was taken to eight runs off the 18th over and with 55 runs from 12 balls, Stubbs blasts Romario Shepherd for back-to-back sixes. But Axar Patel was run out off the next delivery as they attempted to steal a single. Stubbs smoked Shepherd for a six off the last ball to take Delhi Capitals past 200.

With 34 needed off the last six balls, Stubbes was out going for a big one and edging one back to Ishan Kishan to end his innings for 71 off 27 balls, hammering three boundaries and seven maximums.

But in the end, his effort went in vain as Gerald Coetzee claimed three wickets off a brilliant final over to clinch a 29-run victory for Mumbai Indians. Coetzee finished with 4-34 off four overs while Bumrah claimed 2-22 of four brilliant overs.

Earlier, on a hot and humid day, Rohit Sharma and Ishan gave Mumbai a good start raising 80 runs for the opening wicket and the five-time winners scored at a fast clip despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

Rohit started his knock with back-to-back boundaries -- the first an innovative scoop from down on his knee -- against Ishant Sharma in the second over and then sixes -- one off a back-of-length delivery and the second off a fuller one outside off-stump -- on successive deliveries off Jhye Richardson as he replaced the veteran Indian pacer, who sprayed two wides, the second one beating even Rishabh Pant on its way to the boundary.

Ishan Kishan waded into Khaleel Ahmed in the third over of the innings, after taking seven runs off the opening over and then smacking 10 runs off three balls, including two boundaries in his second over.

Mumbai Indians raced to 50 runs in 4.1 overs with Rohit contributing 29 runs and Ishan 17. Rohit Sharma greeted Axan Patel with a six off his first ball and a four two deliveries later as Mumbai Indians scored 14 runs off the fifth over. 

Rohit Sharma was in a murderous mood as he hammered three boundaries -- two of them off successive balls in the first over bowled by Lalit Yadav, slamming a slow one over long-on and sending a low full-toss beautifully along the carpet past mid-off as Mumbai Indians raced to 75 runs in the Powerplay.

Rohit was out, one run short of his half-century, castled by Axar Patel as the quicker one sneaked past his defences to hit the stumps. His 40 off 27 balls was studded with six boundaries and three sixes. Mumbai Indians were 80/1.

One bought two for Delhi Capitals as Suryakumar Yadav's return to action from surgery to treat a sports hernia ended in a two-ball duck, mistiming an attempt to clear mid-on as substitute fielder Jake Fraser-McGurk took a good catch off Anrich Notje.

Ishan Kishan continued to go strong at the other end, hitting Nortje and slog-swept Axar for a maximum while Hardik Pandya pummelled both the bowlers for a boundary each as Mumbai Indians reached 100 runs in the 10th over.

Axar Patel made the breakthrough for Delhi Capitals again, sending back Ishan Kishan for a 23-ball 42, and picking up a stunning one-hander off his own bowling. Ishan's knock included four boundaries and two sixes and Mumbai were now down to 111/3.

Hardik Pandya and Tim David took them past the 150-run mark, maintaining a healthy scoring rate of 10 an over. They upped the ante after the 15th over with both helping themselves to a six apiece off Khaleel in the 17th over. In the next over bowled by Nortje, Tim David flicks a slower one down leg for a fine boundary and followed it by swatting over the short fine leg boundary a chest-high full-toss for a big six. They completed fifty of their fifth wicket partnership in 27 balls. 

But just when it looked like Mumbai Indians would be past 200 easily, they were pegged back again when Pandya failed to get enough bat to a knee-high full toss and struck it straight to Fraser-McCurk at backward square leg off Nortje. He contributed 39 to the score off 33 balls, hitting three fours and one six.

David hammered Ishant Sharma's knee-high full-toss on the middle stump for a clean six and followed it up by dispatching another loose delivery to the extra cover boundary. 

Romario Shephard then waded into Nortje in the final over, hammering four sixes and two boundaries -- the second six sailing over the stands and landing outside the stadium -- as he slammed 32 runs in the 20th over to take Mumbai Indians to 234/5.

Shepherd blasted 39 runs off 10 balls to Tim David was 45 not out off 21 as they raised 53 runs for the unbeaten sixth wicket partnership off just 13 balls.

In the end, that 32-run final over proved decisive as Mumbai Indians dragged their campaign back on rails with a superb victory

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 234/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 49, Ishan Kishan 42, Hardik Pandya 39, Tim David 45 not ut; Romario Shepherd 39 not out; Axar Patel 2-35, Anrich Nortje 2-65) beat Delhi Capitals 205/8 in 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 66, Tristan Stubbs 71, Abishek Porel 41; Gerald Coetzee 4-34, Jasprit Bumrah 2-22) by 29 runs

--IANS

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